Amelia Parker: Finance and Operations Director

E-Mail: amelia(at)pbiusa.org  

Amelia Parker has worked in the field of human rights for close to 20 years, working both at home and abroad. In 2000, she traveled to Ghana to work for the Legal Resources Centre, where she researched the right to work of Sierra Leonean refugees, as well as the human rights implication of water privatization in Ghana. Also during the early part of the 2000s, she served as a Legislative Coordinator for Amnesty International - USA. In 2006, she joined the staff of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Washington, DC as program coordinator where she designed and implemented human rights programming such as the Genocide Teaching Project, which trained law students to teach the lessons of genocide in area high schools. Most recently, her focus has been on the domestic implementation of human rights laws in the U.S. In 2007, she published an article concerning racial inequalities in the U.S. public education system and U.S. non-compliance with international treaty norms, which led to her being a contributing author to the U.S. Human Rights Network’s shadow report on U.S. compliance to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Amelia served as executive director of a community organizing non-profit in Tennessee called Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) from 2009-2013 before joining the staff at PBI-USA in 2014 as Executive Director. In 2020, Amelia transitioned to the position of Finance and Operations Director under a new horizontal staff structure adopted by the National Coordinating Committee (PBI-USA's Board of Directors) that includes a Finance and Operations Director and a Communications and Grassroots Fundraising Director who work closely with the D.C.-based U.S. Advocacy Director. 

Jorge Rodriguez-Larrain: Director of Fundraising and Communications

E-Mail: jorge(at)pbiusa.org

As the Director of Fundraising and Communication, Jorge implements PBI-USA's communication and fundraising strategy. He tracks, compiles, and produces content for PBI-USA's communications efforts, which include website updates, newsletters, press releases, annual reports, flyers and other graphic design materials. He manages and compiles content for our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He also maintains PBI-USA's communications databases. Mr. Rodriguez is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and has lived in various Latin American countries. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan where he obtained his BA in Political Science and Philosophy and is currently studying to receive his MA in International Relations from American University. Before joining PBI-USA, Jorge worked with several nonprofits and political campaigns. Jorge has also served as a White House appointee for the Department of Health and Human Services as the West Texas Regional Outreach Specialist and Media Advisor. 

Katie Shannon: Intern

Katie is a rising senior pursuing a degree in International Development and Diplomacy with a minor in Arab Studies through the College Scholars Program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds a position as Director of Community Development for the Students for Migrant Justice Organization which advocates for undocumented and marginally documented migrant and refugee communities in her area. Additionally, she is an Ambassador for the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy which promotes civic engagement. Further, following a semester abroad in Amman, Jordan studying Arabic and Refugee issues, she began ongoing research regarding the refugee situation in Jordan with relation to policy and policy application among marginalized refugee communities. She is passionate about human rights advocacy, international affairs regarding conflict resolution, and civil engagement more broadly.

For general inquiries, please email info(at)pbiusa.org